To Kill a Mockingbird, the twentieth century's most widely read American novel, still sells a million copies yearly. Yet despite the book's perennial popularity, its creator remains a somewhat mysterious figure. Journalist Shields brings to life the warmhearted, high-spirited, and occasionally hardheaded woman who gave us two of American literature's most unforgettable characters--Atticus Finch and his daughter, Scout--and who contributed to the success of her lifelong friend Truman Capote's masterpiece, In Cold Blood. At the center of the book is Lee's struggle to create her famous novel. But her life contains many other highlights: her girlhood as a tomboy in overalls in tiny Monroeville, Alabama; the murder trial that made her father's reputation and inspired her great work; her journey to Kansas as Capote's ally and research assistant on the story of the Clutter murders; the surrogate family she found in New York City.--From publisher description